Friday, October 10, 2014

Here are the rankings of Charlotte radio stations as measured by Nielsen. Stations that do not subscribe to the ratings service, like WXRC-FM (“Ride” 95.7), are not listed.

STATION

FORMAT

% OF AUDIENCE

1. WSOC-FM, 103.7

Country

7.7%

2. WPEG-FM, “Power 98” 97.9

Hip-hop

7.6%

3. WLKO-FM, “Lake” 102.9

Variety

7.4%

4. WRFX-FM, “Fox” 99.7

Rock

6.8%

5. WKKT-FM, “Kat” 96.9

Country

6.4%

6. WBAV-FM, “V” 101.9

R&B

6.0%

7. WKQC-FM, “K” 104.7

Hits

4.9%

8. WOSF-FM, “Old School,” 106.1

Urban oldies

4.7%

9. WNKS-FM, “Kiss” 95.1

Pop

4.3%

10. WPZS-FM, “Praise” 100.9

Gospel

4.2%

11. WHQC-FM, “Channel” 96.1

Pop

4.1%

12. WLNK-FM, “Link” 107.9

Contemporary

3.6%

13. WEND-FM, “End” 106.5

Alternative

2.9%

14. WFAE-FM, NPR 90.7

News/talk

2.6%

15. WBT-AM, 1110

News/talk

2.5%

15. WRCM-FM, “New Life” 91.9

Christian

2.5%

17. WDAV-FM, 89.9

Classical

1.0%

17. WFNZ-AM, “Fan” 610

Sports

1.0%

19. WMIT-FM “Light” 106.9

Christian

0.9%

20. WBCN-AM

Sports

0.3%

20. WNSC-FM, NPR 88.9

News/talk

0.3%

WASHBURN’S ANALYSIS: WSOC-FM and WPEG-FM regain their top ranking after late-summer dips. WLKO-FM, the music-intensive classic hits station, continues to run hot with its third consecutive top 3 finish.
In news/talk, WBT-AM has rebounded from a historic low in August but finishes a hair behind WFAE-FM for the second month in a row as both stations rise out of their annual summer troughs. Sports stations WFNZ-AM and WBCN-AM remain flat as the Panthers season opens.
Market share by company: CBS Radio 32%; iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel) 28%; Radio One 9%; Greater Media 6%.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good is expected to be featured on a “60 Minutes” report, possibly airing as early as next month, about coal ash.

Correspondent Leslie Stahl and a crew from the CBS newsmagazine were in Charlotte Sept. 18 and 19 to interview Good and film two Duke plants with ash ponds in Gaston County, the decommissioned Riverbend plant and the Allen Steam Station, which uses modern emissions equip

Lynn Good

ment to curb sulfur dioxide emissions.

Duke spokeswoman Paige Layne said Monday that the utility agreed to be part of the story because, with at least 670 ash basins across the country, coal ash is a national issue, and Duke Energy is a massive player in the industry.

Duke has announced plans to move ash at five plants in the Carolinas since a Feb. 2 spill into North Carolina’s Dan River.

“Given that ‘60 Minutes’ is doing a story on ash basins, including the capture and disposal of coal ash, we felt it was important to join the conversation,” Good said in a message to Duke employees Monday.

“We felt it was important that ‘60 Minutes’ hear our perspective on our coal ash management practices, how we’ve responded to the Dan River accident and our plans to close our ash basins.”

“60 Minutes” spokesman Kevin Tedesco said the network has not set an air date for the segment.

Charlotte’s contemporary Christian radio station WRCM-FM (“New Life” 91.9) is to be taken over by a California religious broadcaster under an agreement announced Monday.Columbia International University, which holds the license for WRCM and sister-station WMHK-FM (89.7) in Columbia, said it agreed to transfer the stations to Educational Media Foundation, a Rocklin, Calif., non-profit which operates the K-LOVE Radio Network serving about 450 stations across the country. Price of the transaction: $10.5 million.WRCM's entire staff of nine will be laid off later this fall as will seven in Columbia and the stations will carry the K-LOVE syndicated programming, said Joe Paulo, "New Life" general manager.Columbia began operating WRCM in 1993 as a non-profit station dependent on donations from listeners. Earlier this year, Columbia added a transmitter for the station, WRZM at 88.3 FM, in Boiling Springs.“K-LOVE has partnered with and been supportive of WMHK, WRCM, and WRZM for years and has seen their impact in the communities they serve,” Educational Media president Mike Novak said in a statement. “We look forward to working hard to continue the tradition, while bringing what we have to offer to listeners throughout the Carolinas.”In the Charlotte area, K-LOVE also broadcasts its nationally syndicated format on WWLV-FM (94.1) in Lexington.